Business Lessons Learned in 2021
Life as a small business owner is something of an adventure. You have a destination in mind and a general road map at your disposal, but the journey is full of unexpected twists and turns. Each stage of growth brings new opportunities and lessons to be learned.
I’m passionate about helping small business owners build businesses that will allow them to live the life the life they want to live, and a large part of that is being transparent with my own journey as a small business owner.
Because of this, I’d like to share some of the top business lessons I learned in 2021.
I started Upleveling Your Business in August of 2019; at the time, I had a small virtual team that helped me with tech, social media, and the everyday logistics. I had big plans, and I reached a lot of them in that first year (even in the beginning months of the pandemic).
From there, UYB grew fairly quickly. Our Coaching Team, Admin Team, and Marketing Team all grew, and we expanded both our services and our product offerings. At each stage, I learned important lessons that are helping me grow and even stronger company and team – lessons I’d like to share with you!
Lesson 1: Not All Will Go as Planned
One part of being an entrepreneur is knowing that the decisions you form are based on the best information you have at the time – and knowing that even the best information probably isn’t complete.
This requires solid planning mixed with flexibility. I plan based on the information, but I move forward based on the circumstances at the moment. Things are always changing and evolving, so as business owners, we need to be able to quickly shift.
This is easy to accept on a surface level, but it can be challenging to apply in reality. When situations change and you need to shift, you can’t beat yourself up for not knowing the future – and you can’t expect every decision to come out perfectly.
That would be nice, but it’s just not reality. This is why I advocate for failing your way to success!
Each time you fail, you recognize you’re just that much closer toward finding a solution that does work. Along the way, you’ll learn a lot about yourself as a business owner, your clients, and what your target market is really looking for.
Lesson 2: Marketing is Finicky
We like to think there are sure-fire equations in marketing, but that’s just not the case. In reality, marketing is a series of experiments.
Marketing plans that work one day will often not work the next, and you need to be ready for it. This is why the words “improvise” and “pivot” are two of my favorite business terms in my book!
What worked spectacularly three or four months ago may work again, or it may not work at all. That’s often when you need to change course and be ready to come at the issue from a new angle.
This isn’t a bad thing – it’s a necessity of marketing! Yes, it would be nice if one set plan worked every time, but marketing is the art of connecting and resonating with your audience where they are, right now. That changes constantly.
This is something I previously knew, but this past year, I learned that lesson in new ways. We shifted, we tried new things, and we found new ways to connect. And honestly, my business will be stronger for it!
Lesson 3: Be Intentional About Building Your Team and Your Culture
It’s important to hire not only for skills and abilities, but also for how a person fits into your team and growth strategy. If a person has the skillset you’re looking for but doesn’t fit well into your team – or doesn’t have an interest in helping you grow your company – it’s likely they won’t have the success you’re hoping they will.
When you hire with your culture and growth in mind, however, your team can help you grow beyond what you thought was possible!
You may find that as you grow, roles will change; this is something you will want to anticipate. By getting to know your team members and finding their strengths, you can mentor them to help them grow into the roles you may need them to fill.
This allows you to develop leaders who will understand your company, your growth strategy, and your mission. These leaders can then help you develop the rest of your team as you grow!
I’d love to hear some of the lessons you learned this year – and if my team and I can help you continue to grow effectively, please let us know!